Man jailed for ten years for raping stepdaughter

A 30-year-old man has been awarded a ten-year jail term for raping his nine-year-old stepdaughter by a court here which said that in a civil society, such offences cannot be expected to be committed by a person in such close relationship.

Additional Sessions Judge Raghubir Singh awarded the prison term to the man, a north Delhi resident, on a complaint filed by his wife, who had married him after the demise of her first husband.

“The convict (man), whom the victim treated as her father, made her undergo mental and physical sufferings by committing the offences which, in a civil society, cannot be expected to be committed by a person in such a close relationship, that too within the boundary walls of the house occupied by him as well as the victim…

“The convict is hereby sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of Rs 2,000,” the court said.

While convicting the man under sections 376 (rape) and 377 (unnatural offence) of IPC and under provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the court noted that the complainant had categorically narrated about at least two occasions when she herself had witnessed the man sexually assaulting her daughter.

It also said that the victim had substantiated not only the two incidents referred to by her mother but also clearly alleged certain other instances of the commission of and repetition of same offence by him with her on a number of occasions.

In its order, the court also asked Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to adequately compensate the victim.

According to the prosecution, the woman had filed an FIR against her husband on August 15, 2013, alleging he mistreated them and sexually assaulted her daughter several times.

However, the accused had pleaded not guilty and said he was falsely implicated in the case as his wife wanted to get rid of him since relations between them were not cordial.